The Daily Bulletin Archive

Curriculum
One of the most important resources of the academy is the curriculum. Collectively, this includes individual courses, major programs, general education, minors, and certificate programs. Both undergraduate and graduate curricula reflect the expertise and focus of members of the faculty and departments, and the mission of the college.

Approval of new programs and courses, and revision of existing programs and courses, occurs through a well-defined process with involvement of the department, school, and college. Some program actions require review and approval by the State University of New York (SUNY) and by the New York State Education Department (SED).

Historically, approval of new or revised programs by SUNY and SED was a long and tedious process. Recently, steps have been implemented to accelerate the entire curriculum review process. With these process improvements and the widespread campus interest in new and revised programs, a description of procedures for development of new programs and program revisions follows.

Procedures for New Undergraduate Programs

1. Discuss ideas for the new program with the dean.
2. Develop curriculum requirements and new courses, if any, for the new program. Submit these to the College Senate Curriculum Committee. When the program and courses are approved and all is in place, send the completed “program announcement” and cover letter to R. Lindner, associate vice president for curriculum and assessment. Please list R. Lindner as the campus contact so she can monitor the progress of the program.
3. Once the program proposal is received, there is a 30-day waiting period during which other campuses may respond to the proposal announcement.
4. When the 30-day waiting period is over, the program proposal may be submitted.
5. Most new undergraduate programs require an external review by two individuals suggested by the campus and agreed upon by SUNY.
6. There is a time limitation of one year between the submission of the program announcement and the submission of the actual proposal, so it is important that the program be locally approved before it is submitted to SUNY.
7. Upon approval from SUNY, the program proposal is sent on to SED for approval and registration. Upon SED registration, students can be admitted to the new program.
8. All e-documents, along with explanations and procedures, can be found online.

Procedures for Revision of Undergraduate Programs

An existing undergraduate program needs to have SUNY/SED approval for any revision that is considered major. Any of the following conditions constitutes a major revision:

1. There is a change in 15 or more required (non-elective) credits.
2. There is a change in focus (e.g., biological sciences to health professions).
3. There is a change in location (from on-campus to off-campus site).
4. There is a change in format (e.g., day to evening).
5. There is any change to a program leading to New York State teacher certification or licensure.

Revisions of existing programs should first be approved by the College Senate Curriculum Committee. They then require completion of the cover letter and Appendix E of the Handbook for the Submission of Undergraduate Academic Program Proposals, which can be found in theonline document cited above. Upon SUNY approval and notification of SED re-registration of the program, students may be admitted to the revised program. All current students must be allowed to complete their program under the requirements that were in place when they were admitted.

Procedures for New Graduate Programs

1. Discuss ideas for the new graduate program with the academic dean and the dean of the Graduate School.
2. Develop curriculum requirements and new courses, if any, for the new program. Submit these to the College Senate Curriculum Committee. When the program and courses are approved and all is in place, send the completed cover letter and letter of intent to R. Lindner. Please list R. Lindner as the campus contact so she can monitor the progress of the proposal.
3. Once the letter of intent is received by SUNY, there is a 30-day waiting period during which other campuses may respond to the letter of intent.
4. When the 30-day waiting period is over, an external review by two agreed-upon (Buffalo State and SUNY) reviewers will be conducted. After they submit their review, the campus must officially respond.
5. The program proposal, along with the reviewers’ report and campus response, may then be submitted to SUNY for approval.
6. There is a time limitation of one year between submission of the letter of intent and submission of the actual proposal, so it is important that the program be locally approved before it is submitted to SUNY.
7. Upon approval from SUNY, the program proposal is sent on to SED for approval and registration. Upon SED registration, students may enter the new program.
8. All e-documents, along with explanations and procedures, can be found online.

Procedures for Revision of Graduate Programs

The State Education Department requires re-registration of a program in which significant changes are made. These include:

1. A change in 9 or more required (non-elective) credits.
2. A change in focus (addition or deletion of a track/concentration)
3. A change in where the program is offered (on-campus to off-campus site).
4. A change in format (e.g., day to evening).
5. Any change to a program leading to New York State teacher certification or licensure.

Revisions to existing graduate programs should first be approved by the College Senate Curriculum Committee. They then require completion of the cover letter and Appendix E of the Guidelines for the Submission of Graduate Academic Program Proposals, which can be found in the online document cited above.

Upon approval from SUNY, the revision is sent on to SED for approval and re-registration of the program. Upon notification of SED re-registration, students may be admitted to the revised program. All current students must be allowed to complete their programs under the requirements that were in place when they were admitted.

If you have any questions about whether a program is officially registered, you can check by searching the SED’s Inventory of Registered Programs.